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Lightning Review: Unity Tactical Monkey Bar

By on March 21, 2016 in Guns, Reviews

Unity Tactical’s Monkey Bar is one seriously clever widget. It turns any Magpul MBUS Pro front sight into a Fusion hub capable of mounting a wide variety of lights, rails, and other accessories and manages to do that with just 0.2 ounces of additional weight versus the MBUS Pro front sight alone.

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The Monkey Bar is a simple 6061-T6 replacement for the small steel rail clamp that is included on the MBUS Pro front sight. It is compatible with Unity Tactical’s Fusion system which means it can serve as a hub for attaching items like rail sections or flashlight rings while also accepting Surefire Scout lights directly (no adapter required). It is essentially Unity Tactical’s most compact and lightweight Fusion Hub.

I have been using the Monkey Bar for almost a year with a Surefire M600 Scout Light and I like it quite a bit. Its benefits are tied directly to its form. It is EXTREMELY lightweight because it is essentially integral to your front sight and it positions the light very well because of its proximity to both the front sight and rail.

I don’t know of a lighter weight solution for mounting a Surefire Scout light unless you don’t need a rail mounted front sight for your particular rifle. The MBUS Pro with the Monkey Bar installed weighs just 1.7 ounces. To put that in perspective, the regular polymer MBUS front sight weighs 1.2 ounces and has no ability to the mount a light. You could search far and wide for the lightest front sight and lightest Scout Light mount and their combined weight would still probably double the weight of an MBUS Pro with installed Monkey Bar.

unity tactical Monkey Bar JTT

In addition to the lighter weight that comes with the integral design, it would be hard to reproduce the positioning and space saving qualities of the Monkey Bar with any other mount set up. Because the Monkey Bar replaces the MBUS Pro’s rail clamp it tucks the light very close to the rail and very close to the front sight itself. This reduces snagging and takes up much less space on your rail than a separate front sight and light mount would.

Much like the original Fusion Hub, the Monkey Bar really shines on modern, slick-side rails. Many of these rails have an integral top rail which, with the Monkey Bar, is all you need to mount your front sight and light. If you look at a rail like the ALG EMR V2, you can really start to see the potential. Even with the EMR V2’s short integral rail, you have more than enough space to mount your light and front sight. The EMR V2 and many other rails also have integral sling mounts which means you may not need any other equipment to complete the foreend of your rifle. That save weight, space, and cash.

Bottom Line

The Unity Tactical Monkey Bar is extremely versatile as a hub for Fusion accessories or direct mount for the Surefire Scout lights. It is likely the lightest option for those who need both a rail mounted fight sight and a light mount. It saves weight, space, and money. What’s not to like?

Check out the Monkey Bar at Unity Tactical.

Alternate Use for BFG Baton Belt Pouch

By on March 3, 2016 in Reviews, Tactical Gear

I have come to like Blue Force Gear’s Belt Pouches quite a bit. They are the culmination of several of the technologies that BFG introduced to the tactical gear world and, because of their versatile design, I have found all kinds of unintended uses for them.

The Belt Pouches make use of their Helium Whisper backing which is laser cut ULTRAcomp material which keeps the weight to an absolute minimum while increasing durability. ULTRAcomp’s rubbery texture also serves to increase the retention of the pouch by increasing friction on the contents. The BFG Belt Pouches also utilize heavy duty elastic front panels known at BFG as Ten-Speed. These features combine to make a pouch that is low profile, lightweight, and that will hold just about anything you can wedge into them no matter how awkwardly shaped that item may be.

bfg 10 speed belt pouches

The BFG Baton Belt Pouch is designed to carry a collapsible baton but I have found that it fits many tourniquets like it was made for them. Some people try to do the same thing with pistol magazine pouches. That may work with some tourniquets but the additional height of the Baton Belt Pouch allow me to fold and stage a CAT the way I prefer and store it extremely securely. It takes a few minutes to cram it into the pouch and that is a good thing. It’s a tight fit. The pouch holds it tenaciously but a quick tug lets the TQ leap into your hand.

I have taken to keeping one staged just as you see in the picture above so that I can easily throw it on my belt when I go out to the range. Having your medical gear staged, accessible, and easy to don is the key to having it available when you need it.

Note: For the curious, the above picture is the kit I often use at the range. This kit is close to everything I need and it saves me time because I can wear it to and from the range under a covering garment so I don’t look like a ninja out in public. Pictured: BFG Baton Belt Pouch, BFG Belt Dump Pouch, LAG Tactical Battle Buddy

Review: Suarez International Combat Magazine Guide

By on March 1, 2016 in Guns, Reviews

I have been using the Suarez International (SI) Combat Magazine Guide for almost 1 year now on one of my Generation 3 Glock 19s and I like it quite a bit. It may seem strange to use a magwell on a carry gun to some but I may have some unique perspective for those who think that way.

Suarez Combat Magazine Guide 3

Overview

The Combat Magazine Guide is a drop-in magazine well enhancement that is available for a number of different Glock models. It is machined from “aircraft grade” aluminum and hard anodized. Installation is easy and similar to every other magwell that I have ever used.

Observations

I will say up front that the marketing for the Combat Magazine Guide is a bit over the top. I have come to expect that from SI but I have also come to expect that the quality and function of the product will be very good at a reasonable price. That has been true for this and all the other Glock parts I have used from them.

Suarez Combat Magazine Guide

SI states in their marketing materials that the Combat Magazine Guide gives a 3% edge is reload speed. I have never really found that to be the case with ANY magazine well intended for use with double stack magazines. I have generally found that reloads are more forgiving of not-so-perfect technique but, averaged out over several reloads, not necessarily faster.

At this point, you may be wondering why I still like magwells on Glocks if I haven’t really found them to be faster. Most people have a pretty narrow view of what a magwell does. I don’t discount their ability to clean up a slight miss during a reload and their potential to speed some reloads but I see them as a grip enhancer as much as a reload enhancer.

The grip enhancing aspects of a well designed magwell are especially apparent on short gripped handguns like the Glock 19. My hands are wide enough that they can cause two issues (I usually wear a medium or, occasionally, a large glove so we aren’t talking about especially meaty hands here). The first is that magazine may fail to drop free due to contact with the meat of my palm. The second (and more painful issue) is that the meat of my palm can be pinched between the Glock frame and magazine base plate. This can cause a painful blood blister which is less than pleasant when you are part way through a long training session. The Combat Magazine Guide prevents this from happening by effectively holding back the meat of my palm.

Additionally, the wedge shape of the Combat Magazine Guide serves to drive the hand higher on the gun and lock it in against the beaver tail area at the back of the grip. The shape at the front of the Combat Magazine Guide creates a sort of shelf that drives your finger high into the trigger guard. It really helps lock your grip into place.

The design of the Combat Magazine Guide doesn’t really alter the concealability of the Glock 19. It fits so close to the Glock frame that base plate of your magazine is still the longest part of the gun. This is key for three reasons. One, it is the butt of the gun that has the biggest effect on concealment. Two, you can still get finger tips on the baseplate for malfunction clearances. Three, it works with a wider variety of aftermarket baseplates than magazine wells that encompass more of the baseplate.

Suarez Combat Magazine Guide 2

Wrap Up

Is the marketing for this item over the top? Yes. However, I think SI is actually selling themselves short with the “3% edge in speed” claim. Speed is quantifiable but it is harder to quantify how well the Combat Magazine Guide works to enhance the grip. It is well shaped and thoughtfully designed in a broader context beyond just speeding reloads.

Check out the Combat Magazine Guide at Suarez International.

Disclosure: The Combat Magazine Guide was provided to me for review, free of charge, by a marketing professional for SI.

Review: Armageddon Gear Precision Rifle Sling

By on February 22, 2016 in Guns, Reviews

I have been using an Armageddon Gear Precision Rifle Sling for over a year now and I have really come to appreciate it’s simple approach to helping the shooter build a steadier shooting position. I have used it mostly on two precision AR-15 builds but it has also done some time on a .30-06 Ruger American Rifle that I am setting up for hunting.

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The Precision Rifle Sling has three features that make it stand out for me. The first is the always-open arm cuff. The cuff can be adjusted to fit your arm and then it stays that size more or less. To use it, you simple slip your body out of the sling and drive your support arm into the loop. Then you can pull the loop higher onto your arm as necessary. Once your arm is in the sling loop you can do a forearm wrap or quick adjust the sling tension to tighten it into a rock steady position which brings me to the next thing I like about the sling…

The tension adjustments can be made while you are in the sling. There is a short tail at the front of the sling that can be pulled to tighten the shooting position while you are already slung up. This allows you to fine tune the position quickly which is a big plus considering how much your support arm positioning may change based on the shooting position.

SPR Build

Finally, the bungee section of the sling has really surprised me. I have never had a shooting sling with a bungee feature but the Precision Rifle Sling features a stretch segment built into the “back” half of the sling. This, coupled with the wide webbing, makes it more comfortable to carry heavier rifles like my SPR. It also serves to suck the shooter into the rifle when shooting off of a barricade or even just on the rifle bar of a tree stand.

The Precision Rifle Sling is well made and the materials are top notch. It is available in a number of colors (mine is ATACS-AU) and with three different attachment options (plain ends, QD swivels, and AI Hooks).

I like this sling so much that I find myself moving it between rifles constantly. Check it out at Armageddon Gear.

Review: Black Rhino Concealment TCSL Holster

By on February 9, 2016 in EDC, Reviews

I have been using a Black Rhino Concealment (BRC) TCSL Holster since August of last year. It has been my most commonly worn holster around our property and a frequent range companion.

Overview

The TCSL is a pancake style holster made from Kydex. The TCS is their standard holster and the TCSL, which is the subject of this review, is the light bearing version.

The TCSL features BRC’s 90/10 mold. Most kydex holsters mold approximately half the gun into one side of the holster and half the gun into the other side. BRC molds the gun so that it is mostly contained by the outer layer of kydex. This allows the inner layer, the layer closest to the wearer, to be only lightly molded which presents a flatter, more comfortable surface to the wearer’s side.

BRC TCSL Front

Observations from Use

I want to camp on the 90/10 mold that BRC uses since that is what makes this holster unique in the market. I have noticed that it is very comfortable both inside the waist band and outside the waist band. It was anticipating that it would mostly make a difference when being worn inside the waistband but I was surprised to find that it reduced hotspots outside the waistband as well. I would say this is an extremely comfortable holster – especially for an all-Kydex construction holster.

BRC does not provide adjustable retention on their TCS holsters and I like that. I generally prefer holsters without adjustable retention adjustment screws seem to do nothing but loosen over time. The retention is more than sufficient. You could probably call it moderate. It would be nice if BRC could let the user choose the degree of retention when they order their holster to accommodate those who might lighter or more aggressive retention.

A good kydex holster is molded so that it feels like it only retains on the trigger guard or, in the case of a light bearing holster, it should retain on the light. This is what allows the distinctive click-in and click-out that good kydex holsters exhibit. Poorly molded holsters can causes hitches in the draw or make it more difficult to insert the handgun. The TCSL is a well molded holster. It clicks in positively and release the handgun quickly. BRC has done a good job of blocking around the light while also providing sufficient trigger coverage. The sight channel is generous.

BRC’s sweat guard runs all the way up the full length of the slide so it provides good coverage. However, it is also cut away fairly aggressively to allow a good grip on the handgun right out of the holster.

BRC TCSL Back

The back of the TCSL is lightly molded for comfort. There is even less impression into the back panel on the non-light bearing TCS holster.

BRC uses injection molded wing-like belt loops. These wings do  good job of holding the holster in close to the wearer and spreading the weight of the gun. They are very stable and have held up well to several months of wear.

The fit and finish is very good on my TCSL with one exception that does not effect function. The edges are lightly rounded and well polished. The eyelets are consistent and well formed. The mold has acceptable definition. The issue is where the kydex is folded to cover the lens of the light. It covers completely but because of the 90/10 mold, this bit of kydex must be folded over quite a bit which leads to bit of a sloppy look. It doesn’t look very clean but it has ZERO negative effect on function. Many makers do not cover the lens completely to avoid this but BRC chooses to provide full coverage.

I also want to share a story to give you an idea of the types of guys you are dealing with at BRC. I needed a holster for an East German Makarov that was given to me by my grandfather. I have been looking for one on and off for years. There just aren’t a lot of choices unless you want junk. I have asked several holster makers over the years if they happened to have a Makarov to mold a holster with and was always greeted with a “No. Sorry.” Geno at BRC said they didn’t have one but that he could make something happen. He then proceeded to call people he knows to track down a Makarov. The result is that I have one of their TCS holsters for my cherished East German Makarov. BRC takes care of customers.

Wrap Up

The Black Rhino Concealment is a very comfortable holster thanks to the 90/10 mold. While my example does have a fit and finish issue, the holster functions exactly as it should. My holster has served me well and it has become my go-to outside the waistband holster.

If you are one of those shooters who finds kydex holsters a bit uncomfortable, you should definitely check out Black Rhino Concealment. They might change your mind.

Disclosure: This holster was provided to me free of charge by Black Rhino Concealment for review.

This image shows the 90/10 mold. The majority of the gun's width is molded into the holster's front panel. It also shows the fit and finish issue mentioned earlier in the review.

This image shows the 90/10 mold. The majority of the gun’s width is molded into the holster’s front panel. It also shows the fit and finish issue mentioned earlier in the review.

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